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States, companies keen to bring farmers in agri-insurance net


With global warming now becoming a permanent fixture in the Indian agriculture landscape, state governments and insurance firms are rushing to provide crop insurance for farmers.

Take the case of Rajasthan, which is now looking at extending agri-insurance cover across its 33 districts this year compared to 26 last year. Ditto with Himachal Pradesh and Haryana which would run the Rashtriya Krishi Bima Yojana from this kharif onwards. The cover would be mandatory for those who grow notified crops and have availed seasonal agriculture loans.

“The scheme will be on a compulsory basis to loanee farmers. For the non-loanee farmers, the scheme is optional. The indemnity level for maize, paddy, potato and ginger crops has been kept at 80% of the average yield,” said an official with the Himachal government.

The Agriculture Insurance Company(AIC), which ran an insurance programme for coconut in Karnataka’s Tumkur district, is now expanding it to 18 districts. “Our aim is not just to provide cover for the kharif crop but to other commercial crops. We are running this (insurance cover) jointly with the Coconut Board, the Karnataka Horticulture department who would bear 75% of the premium cost,” a senior AIC official told ET. AIC is also collaborating with the Coffee Board to extend the insurance cover during the post-monsoon period.

Traditionally, the coffee cover would be for the blossom showers (which would be from March to April) and the monsoon. “Unseasonal rains, notably during the harvest period last year, hit us. If the post-monsoon cover is given, it would provide a measure of comfort,” said Ajoy Thippaiah, member of the Coffee Board.

Besides AIC, other private insurance players have evinced interest in the agri-insurance sector. ICICI-Lombard has now made product proposal presentations to the governments of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

ICICI Lombard’s financial inclusion solutions group head Dilip Jashnani says that high awareness level about agri-insurance in northern states makes this market attractive. But he adds that distribution is a key challenge in a country like India. “Reaching out to all the farmers in rural areas, amongst whom the awareness levels of insurance as a subject are still low, is a challenge,” he said.

To prevent any possibility of competitive or mis-selling, governments have also identified the markets for the insurance companies. In Rajasthan, while the loanee farmers avail insurance through the AIC, others can approach private players, says a state agriculture department official.